Odd Numbers
by Spifiliator
Summary: Sequel to Waiting which is a sequel to Heartsick ; Part 3 of my tale about one of the FFIV posse's evenings in The Sealed Cave. This tale focuses on Kain's crazy experiences of the evening/morning hours in the cave.


**Odd Numbers**

OK...so I felt bad that I didn't finish out the evening. I featured Rydia, Cecil, and Rosa in "Heartsick." Edge and Rydia had their comical, yet cute-sey rondevous in "Waiting." And that left Kain...so, as not to leave him out, here is the third and final installment of this tale set one really odd night in The Sealed Cave**.**

Kain sat watch, pensively. _They think I'm clueless, that I slept blissfully unaware of their activities all night._

The fire burned, all was quiet except the periodic shuffle of shifting bodies from within the tents. _Hah!_

In the silence Kain could still hear echoes of Rydia's childish giggles…the depth of Edge's distinguished tones…Cecil's contented deep breathing…and worst of all, Rosa's wanton sighs. _ACK!_

_ACK on them all!_

Kain chucked a wood chip into the fire and watched it spark angrily. "Yeah, feel it. Get mad." He spoke aloud to the wood chip. "It does absolutely no good to fight it." The chip continued to dance and sputter hotly. "No matter what you do you're still burning!"

Kain stood and paced back and forth impatiently. Four steps left, four steps right. No use. He roughly rubbed his eyes and his face, trying desperately to wipe away his dissatisfaction. Sitting by the fire once more, he tried to focus on his breathing using some of the meditative techniques he had picked up from Edge over the last few weeks.

_No anger_.

Breath in.

_Anger put me in this place to begin with_.

Breath out.

_Anger keeps Golbez's hold on me_.

Breath in, deeper.

_I still feel it simmering inside, waiting for another chance to claim me_.

Explosive breath out, punctuated by a vile expletive…much worse than "ACK" anyway!

Meditation seemed futile. Still he persevered. Edge's words reverberated in his consciousness. "Focus on your breathing. Feel your chest rise, feel it fall. Breathe. Breathe fully in, fully out. Feel your body, become aware. Keep breathing. You may feel heavier. Keep breathing. Feel yourself center…"

In time it worked. Kain's breathing deepened and the tension seemed to melt. Even the sparking wood chip no longer hopped in the flame. It too had burned out. Kain opened his eyes feeling much refreshed—and watched!

In one fluid, athletic move Kain stood and turned to face the tents. There was no one. Slowly he turned, scanning his surroundings, until he faced the fire once more. There was still no one. Until he looked down, that is.

An aged dark elf in tattered clothing lay on the ground. A pool of blood surrounded the foe, yet the monster kept pulling himself on his stomach toward the fire. "You know, Dark One," he rasped, "You could help me. In this condition, I can do you no harm."

Kain shrugged...and chuckled. "As if, Old One." But he walked toward the injured elf all the same. Kneeling, he said, "Show me your wounds."

The elf winced and turned his body over. "Careful," he barely eked the word out. "Have to untie it…" he motioned feebly to his stomach. "I can't. No strength." His eyes rolled.

"Stay awake!" Kain nearly shouted, but he caught himself. Reaching into his breastplate, he pulled out a small flask. "Here." The elf, nearly unconscious, couldn't lift his head to drink, so Kain assisted. He poured a small, hopefully elven-sized dosage of Potion into the elf's mouth. He swallowed very little, but the fast-acting serum gave him enough strength to nod a thank you.

Kain moved to the elf's stomach and gingerly untied the rudimentary bandage. He cringed at the site below. _Who knew such a little beast could store so much blood? _Kain heard the elf suck in a tortured breath as the wound touched open air. It wasn't so much of a wound as it was an evisceration. Lacking Rosa's expertise, Kain took a gamble and emptied the contents of his flask into the elf's gaping abdomen. The bloody cavity bubbled and hissed, but in moments it began to seal. At this point, whether from blood loss or shock, the elf blacked out.

Kain got up to rummage through the supplies. He found some clean-ish cloths, another flask of Potion, and he grabbed his canteen. When he returned to the fire site, the wound had mostly clotted, though a few areas were tender and still slowly seeping blood. Using a cloth dampened with water, Kain began mopping up the bloody mess on the elf. He stopped momentarily to check the sleeping elf's breathing and pour a little more Potion into his mouth. Shortly after, the elf opened his eyes to find himself cleaned up and his injury re-bound in cloth. Kain was tossing the bloodied towels into the fire to dispose of them.

Kain didn't turn around, but he heard the elf stir. "Be careful, Elf. You've lost much blood, and your gash is not fully closed. I don't have any suture materials. You really shouldn't move until the Potion finishes its work."

"You, Dark One, you saved me. The Crystals only know why. But I thank you."

"You're welcome." Kain shook his head. _What a strange night this has been!_ "Now hush awhile. You need to heal, and I don't want to wake our white mage. She's, well, she's had a long night."

Kain's tone in the last statement intrigued the elf, and he chuckled as leeringly as he could in his weakened state. "A long night, eh? Care to elaborate? Entertain a feeble, old manling?"

Kain's body clenched. "Why you dirty...!" But, remembering his earlier meditation, Kain forced himself to take a breath and calm down. _No more anger, man. No more._

Starting again Kain said, "You have the wrong idea. It isn't like that with Rosa."

"Oh, well then I am sorry. Rosa..." the elf's voice wavered. Kain seriously hoped he was falling back asleep!

But alas, no. The elf continued, "Such a beautiful name. I envision a beautiful woman attached to this title."

Kain's voice softened as he said, "There is not a fairer lady in all the lands of the Blue Planet."

"Such tenderness, but also such formality, sir. I take it this Rosa is not _your_ fair lady."

Kain worked to harden his expression, but in light of the evening's emotional ups and downs, he failed. The elf watched him struggle with his emotions, and for a few moments saw fit to remain silent. It didn't last, much to Kain's dismay.

"I've been where you are, sir. I have been the odd man out in my party. I have been surrounded by lovely females and their sworn male protectors and lovers. Odd numbers man, odd numbers."

Kain's face lit in horror at the words. _Female dark elves? Hideous!_

Reading his discomfiture, the elf said, "Did you think my kind grows on trees? Man, you need to find a mate. Someone needs to teach you a science lesson! Of course we have dark elf women—quite attractive ones if I do say so myself." Kain's expression didn't change. He couldn't clear the revolting images of elfin couplings that continued to stream through his mind. _Will meditation clear this up too? This is so wrong!_

The elf was talking again.

_This guy doesn't stop, does he?_ At least the voice had distracted him from the horrible visages in his mind's eye!

"… I understand now," continued the elf. "And of course you already have realized that this is why it's so easy for Golbez to hold you. Jealousy…"

Kain leapt to the side of the elf, and swiftly pulled a dagger to the creature's neck. "Just who are you Elf?" His question reeked of anger. "What do _**you**_ know about Golbez?"

"Ack, I talked too much again! Easy there Kain." The elf tried to push the dagger from his neck, but Kain held fast—in fact he held even firmer. "Ouch!" A thin trickling of blood escaped a minor cut in the elf's neck. "Alright, alright. I know Golbez, and I know you because I have been trailing you and your party on Golbez's orders since you entered this cave."

"You're a spy for Golbez?" Kain made to deepen the cut in the elf's neck.

"No!" The elf's raspy shout stopped Kain's movement. "I _**was**_ a spy for Golbez. Who do you think shredded me like this? I outlived my usefulness when…" The elf's voice trailed off.

_Oh, so NOW he decides to shut up! I don't believe this guy!_ Kain prodded, "You outlived your usefulness when what?"

"I outlived my usefulness when I started to doubt Golbez's plan." Kain's grip on the knife lessened, and the elf sighed in relief as the pressure eased from his neck.

"You are not free yet, Elf. What do you know about Golbez's plan? Tell the truth!"

"I have nothing left but the truth, Dark One. My life is in your hands now, as it has been all night."

"Cut the melodrama. Tell me what you know!" Kain brandished the knife threateningly, but there was really no need. The elf was right—the truth was all he had.

"I have been following you since you entered the cave. I am, or rather _was_, to see that the crystal is successfully obtained. "

Kain ran his free hand through his hair in frustration. "So Golbez plans to obtain the dark crystal from us? How? Who is he sending?"

"That I don't know. I said I doubted Golbez's plan, not that I was privy to it. I only know the plan involves you. Because I have been watching you for a few days, I feel like I get you. You are dark, but not really evil. You are jealous and slightly covetous, but not offensive. You show great compassion toward your best friend, and you honor your responsibilities to your partners every time you fight with them. I see goodness in you, and I said so to the boss. I mentioned that you might not be the most reliable man for Golbez's dirty work, and Golbez disagreed. So, he gutted me."

The elf caught him off guard (again!). Flabbergasted, Kain asked "You were gutted by Golbez himself?"

Chuckling, the elf said, "Oh no. That is an honor reserved for only a select number. You surely know that!" Sighing dejectedly the elf admitted, "No, I was gutted by a Cave Bat forcefully recruited by Golbez's mind mojo."

It was Kain's turn to chuckle. The swift change in emotion was welcome, but draining. As his laughter dwindled, Kain felt the weight of the elf's confession. _What am I going to tell the others? Should I even tell the others? Perhaps I can watch out for this myself…_Too tired to get angry again, Kain's body and mind settled for weariness. He gazed at the hourglass. In minutes his colleagues would awaken and they would begin their trek through the caves once more. "Elf, you should go."

"You mean not to kill me? I did use you and lie to you and spy on you. And if you must know, I lusted a bit for Rydia and Rosa. They are strikingly attractive women you know? Far prettier than dark elf women, in case you were wondering."

_Yikes! What is it with this guy? Does this look like a confessional?_ Kain reiterated, "I said you should go. I cannot guarantee your safety around all of my colleagues." _Could I control Edge around this freaky creature? Well, honestly, could I trust my own self control around this beast's incessant chatter!?!_

"It's all right. I know I've over-talked my welcome. That's what put me here in the first place, and it almost put me underground again tonight!" The elf smiled and stood gingerly, testing his strength. Kain handed him his belongings that he had removed during the medical care. He also handed the elf a pack of fresh rations for his travels. _How did that elf know what I was thinking? Maybe he really does"**get**" me...??? Guess it's about time someone did!_

Making eye contact with Kain, the elf nodded knowingly. "Thank you, Kain. I think was right about you." And with that the elf walked off into the darkness of the Sealed Cave.

Kain just shook his head trying to clear the whole bipolar nature of the evening's exchange. _Well, guess that's one way to clear my anger. Rescue a weird elf!_ And with that, he heard stirring in the tents, so he started making breakfast.


End file.
